


Stand By You

by Magykal777



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eventual Romance, Everyone Needs A Hug, Except bad guys, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Happy Ending, M/M, Most people live, Multi, My First AO3 Post, No Avengers: Infinity War, No Smut, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant, Pietro Maximoff Lives, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Some angst, Terrigenesis (Marvel), Thanos doesn't exist, They can die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-01-12 10:50:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18445037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magykal777/pseuds/Magykal777
Summary: Everyone had soulmates. Some had more than others, and that was just the way of things. Every match is perfect, even if it still requires work. Because, after all, even if you can't find heaven, you can always walk through hell.





	1. Winds of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Up until high school, Lily Maywell lived a pretty normal life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick not about my version of soulmarks: so, soulmates can feel emotions through each other's bonds, especially particularly strong ones. If they are day-to-day feelings, it will usually just be barely registered, but if the emotions are consciously sent, or something like fear, then the soulmates will be well aware of how the other feels. Also, if the soulmate isn't born yet, there will be no soulmark, and if the soulmate dies, the mark will fade but not disappear.

**Age 0**

As far back as she could remember, Lily Maywell had always had two soulmarks. This was only significant in the fact that sometimes soulmarks appeared during a person’s life as their soulmate was born. This meant that her soulmates were exact same age or older than her, although it never really mattered; she knew she would love them no matter what age they were or what they looked like.

On her right wrist, in loopy chicken scratch, were the words _Come here often, gorgeous?_

On her left, in narrow stereotypical doctor’s handwriting, were the words _Thanks, I guess._

Lily’s very first memory, before even the sound of her parent’s voices, was the pure, perfect love her soulmates sent her, welcoming her into the world and making sure she new they were there for her. Even when she grew older and the memory faded into a feeling, she never forgot the first moment when the soulmarks made their existence known.

**Age 5**

Lily and her father, John, had been very close from the beginning, and her most fond memories had been with him. The Maywells lived in upstate New York, where it would get so snowy cars wouldn’t even budge from the driveways, and the snowbanks would even be taller than the five-year-old. It always made travel difficult, but Lily loved living in their little town on the lake.

One day, the temperature had dropped to -25 degrees, freezing the existing snow and icing it over. Lily and her father usually walked to school, especially in the winter, and they had made sure to leave extra time due to the conditions. Deep snow was so common that if the school closed every time it happened, the students would be there all year; so unless there was a power outage, it remained open.

They had great fun slipping and sliding on the icy surface; the young girl pretended to be a professional figure skater, attempting clumsy spins on the ice. However, her house was at the bottom of a hill and the school was at the top. While it wasn’t a steep climb, the ice made it very hard to walk up. In the end, Lily and her father had to crawl up the hill on all fours in order to keep from falling over or sliding down, causing the young girl to laugh with amusement. Her father glanced at her fondly, watching her carefully to make sure she didn’t get hurt.

They arrived at school five minutes late, but the memory was well worth the tardiness.

**Age 7**

During the summer, the little lake town filled with the people who moved away during the winter. It was always a busy, fun time, especially since there would be more kids Lily’s age. Each year, she always hoped that at least one of her soulmates would be come with the snowbirds, but neither of them ever showed. However, Lily’s best friend, Lydia, would always be there.

The two girls had met when they were three; both of their parents had (separately) decided to use the golf course located nearby and brought their children along. The two families had arrived at the first hole at the same time, and after some debate (“you can use it first.” “No, you can. It’s quite alright.”), they decided to golf together. Lily and Lydia got along very well and played together in the sandpit (even if that wasn’t strictly allowed.) Every summer after, the two families would spend time together.

As they got older, Lydia had had become more intrigued by Lily’s two soulmarks and was always interested in what her soulmates were feeling. Lily, likewise, had asked about Lydia’s. The brunette girl had the traditional single soulmark, which read _I’m Nate, what’s your name?_ in blocky writing. Lily wished the first words her soulmates would say was a traditional introduction so she would at least know their names, but Lydia said it was more fun to imagine how they would meet.

**Age 10**

Lily’s birthday fell on September 16th, which she considered the best time to have a celebration. Her father usually would have just returned from his travels for work (he was an archaeologist and usually got called away to dig sites during the summer), the weather was cool but not too cold, and all the leaves seemed to change colors just for her. She even got two birthdays, one in the summer so Lydia could be there and one on her actual birthday, so she really couldn’t complain. Even her soulmates seemed to know when it was her special day and made sure to send her extra love through their bonds. Her mother, Catherine, made a cake (chocolate, her favorite) and her favorite food (which usually changed every year; this year, it was grilled cheese.)

Her father would tell her all of his adventures at the dig sites, and they’d play her favorite games. She would always go to bed happy and content, believing the world- or at least her own- was at peace.

**Age 12**

Rainy days at the lake were the great, if a little dreary. Lily would have to take a break from her normal outside activities, seeing as her mother wouldn’t like it if she got all muddy (or, at least, muddier than usual.) The lake never got TV service, since it was far out from any major city, so that left the day for arts and crafts or reading. Sometimes, Lily even just liked to lie in bed under the covers, listening to the rain pattering on the tin roof of her home.

It was during these times that she thought the most about her soulmates. Of course, they were always on her mind, but she was usually a very active child and filled her days with whatever events were currently happening, which left little time to reflect on the two missing pieces of her soul. However, when she wasn’t playing, she liked to imagine the scenarios in which she would meet her soulmates.

For the first one, _Come here often, gorgeous?_ She, at this age, imagined that her soulmate attended the same school as she did, and he would say this jokingly (because of course she came to school often.) The comment made him seem to be confident and funny, which she liked. Although, right now, he seemed very lonely and sad, no matter how much he tried to cover it up. (The lonely and sad feelings were strongest, with a light warmth over them, like a blanket. Lily had decided this warmth was happiness.)

For her other soulmate, he often felt the same emotions, although he didn’t try to cover his up as much. _Thanks, I guess_ made him seem like he wasn’t as confident as her other soulmate, and she worried that she might say something offensive to have him reply like that.

However, if there was one thing she knew for sure, her soulmates would never feel lonely or sad again once she met them (at least, if she could help it.) She did what she could now, making sure they knew through their bonds how much she couldn’t wait to meet them, and that she would love them no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'd appreciate it if you let me know what you think and whether I should continue. I know there weren't any mentions of MCU characters in this chapter, but they'll come, don't worry! I wanted to get some background for my OC first. For where she lives, I picture a town like Lake George in Hulett's Landing, NY.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Next chapter: Lily Maywell Gets Stoned


	2. Lily Maywell Gets Stoned Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily travels abroad for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about the airport: just a reminder that this part of the story takes place in the 80s, so airport security/protocol was different than it is now.

A few years passed without much change, and soon Lily graduated from Middle School. After her celebration, her mother and father had sat her down for a family meeting.

“We have some news we’d like to share with you, Lily,” her mother started.

“As you know, your High School will be farther away than any of the schools you have gone to before. After much consideration, your mother and I have decided to relocate to a more populated city. Your mother has also decided to pick up her nursing practice again and plans on attending school to get her license renewed,” Lily’s father continued, “I know this is probably very hard to hear, since we all love the Lake . But, you don’t have to worry too much, since we plan on returning for the summer.”

Lily listened to her parents quietly, taking in the information. She was upset that she had to move away from the place where she grew up, but she also knew a three-hour round trip ride to High School wasn’t ideal. At least they weren’t planning on selling the house, which made this much better.

“When did you guys decide to move?” Lily asked.

“We’ve been discussing it since you started eighth grade. We haven’t found a house until recently, though. That’s where we went the day we had you sleep over at Margret’s,” John explained.

“Oh. Um, when are we moving, then?” she asked.

“We have a planned date of June 1st, that way we can get settled before your birthday,” her mother answered.

Lily, knowing that it was useless to argue, nodded in acceptance. In her habit on looking at the bright side of things, she decided at least it would give her a better opportunity to find her soulmates.

“I do have some good news, though,” her father spoke up suddenly, “I have been invited to an excavation site in Argentina in July, once they uncover the base a little more. Since you’ve done so well in school, your mother and I thought it would be a nice treat for you to come with me.”

Lily looked up, surprised, “really? I can come with you?”

She had always wanted to be a part of her father’s travels, his excitement over the past fueling her interest in history, which was definitely her best subject.

“Of course, this isn’t something I would joke about. I take it you would like to come?”

“Definitely!”

 

* * *

  

Lily’s family settled without much problem in their new town of Silver Springs, New York. The town was several times larger than what they were used to, but it was by no means _big_. Not like New York City, anyway. Her 15th birthday came and went, and then July arrived.

John woke his daughter up early in the morning while the sky dark, and she followed him sleepily to car. They had packed their luggage the previous night, so all they had to do was make some breakfast before starting the hour drive to the airport. Lily slept on the way there, so they seemed to arrive in no time at all.

The sun was just breaking over the horizon as they parked the car. They caught the shuttle and made it to the airport with time to spare. John had pre-booked their tickets over the phone, and after checking in with the agent (which always took a while), they wandered around the airport waiting for their flight. Lily was wide-awake at this point, and she looked around the airport with wide eyes, having never been to one before (her longest trip being the move from the Lake town to Saratoga.)

At 7 am, their flight was announced by a crackling voice over the loudspeakers _all passengers travelling to El Plumerillo International Airport for the 7:30 am flight meet at Gate Four for boarding in fifteen minutes_. Lily and her father headed to the gate. After giving their tickets to the gate attendant, they boarded the gangway. Choosing seats close to the front, Lily’s father pulled out their entertainment for the flight: a crossword puzzle book, some historical novels, and a few blank pieces of paper for drawing. He also brought out the bottles of water they’d packed to drink.  

As the plane left the gate, the flight stewardess gave the mandatory safety protocol, and they were in the air. Once it was safe to walk around, the attendants moved through the aisles, offering headphones to listen to the movie that was shown at the front of the plane. Neither Lily nor her father were interested and were quickly immersed in their activities.

In what seemed like no time at all, they had reached the first layover stop, and they deboarded. With an hour to wait, Lily and her father decided to eat at a nearby fast food restaurant. With their crazy beginning of summer, they hadn’t had much time to talk about the actual excavation, so Lily decided to ask about the find.

“Well,” her father started, “some hikers had been exploring a nearby area where they realized was a trail. Of course, there was the hiking trail they were following, but one member of the group was more observant and realized there was a trail off to the side. It was covered with underbrush, but it was less dense than the other areas. After leaving a marker to find their way back, the group decided to head in that direction. They didn’t realize they’d found a civilization at first, but one of them had fallen through a weak spot in the ground.

It turned out that there was an underground tunnel, which opened into a cave that was similar to the burial chambers of the Egyptians. After alerting the authorities, archaeologists were called out to study the area. We’re lucky they didn’t try to take anything; I think there is a traditional myth about a stone curse that prevented it.”

Lily listened with interest as her father spoke, caught up in the story, “do you know about the stone curse, dad?” she asked.

“Not much,” he replied, “just that it is a common story told among the indigenous peoples of South America. I learned about it from one of my colleagues at the last dig we worked together on. Apparently, if one were to steal from an ancient burial site, they wouldn’t get very far before they were completely covered in stone. Of course, he could tell the story much better than I, but that’s the gist of it.”

 “Do you think it’s real?” she asked.

John chewed on his hamburger thoughtfully for a moment before answering, “I think that all myths are based on some fact, and that perhaps _stone_ isn’t actually what covered the person, but fear. Because after all, some people freeze up when they’re afraid, so maybe it was just the guilt that catches up with them. When you’re dealing with history, you always have to take it with a grain of salt.”

Lily nodded in acceptance; his theory made sense. There were no such thing as mythical curses, after all. (She didn’t realize at the time, of course, just how wrong she was.)

 

* * *

 

In their last leg of the flight, having made another layover, the two had tried to settle down for some sleep. It would be morning in Argentina when they arrived, so they had to prepare for the jetlag that was sure to follow.

However, Lily was too excited to settle down and she kept giggling quietly to herself, causing her father to look over at her in concern, “what’s up, Lils?” he asked.

She turned towards him, looking guilty, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she said.

Her father smiled gently at her, “not to worry,” he said.

The older man looked down to where his daughter had pulled her sleeves up slightly to expose her soulmarks, “are they bothering you?” he asked.

“Oh no, they never do,” she said, “I think they really want me to go to sleep but the emotion tickles- I think it’s love- and they’re trying to compete to see who loves me more.”

Her father looked amused, “I remember doing that with your mom,” he said, “before we met, we’d always try to out-love each other through our bonds, but eventually one of us would always fall asleep first.”

Lily smiled slightly, pulling her father’s hand towards her to read her mother’s loopy script, _my name is Catherine Powell and I’ll be taking care of you today._ The words wrapped almost all the way around his wrist with the phrase being so long.

Apparently, her mother had been working in a nearby hospital when her father had come in with an open wound from a piece of ancient metal. They’d had some medical doctors on site, of course, but he’d gone to the hospital in town just to be sure. Her mother had greeted him with those words (his response had been _you can treat me anytime_ ), and that, as they say, was history.

Lily hoped she would have such a smooth-sailing relationship with her soulmates, but something told her not to count on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't expecting it to be split into two chapters, but I thought this would be a good break point. 
> 
> Thank you to those who left kudos and comments!
> 
> Next chapter: Lily Maywell Gets Stoned Pt. 2


	3. Lily Maywell Gets Stoned Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting stoned isn't all it's cracked up to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: very minor violence (bloodshed isn't even mentioned) and, like, one curse word

 True to her father’s word, the sun was shining brightly outside of the windows of the Argentinian airport. As they came out of the gangway, a man caught their attention; he was about average height, with dark hair and tanned skin.

“Dr. Maywell, a pleasure to meet you,” he greeted them with a thick Argentinian accent.

“Ah, I presume you are Dr. Castillo?” Lily’s father asked.

“Yes, I was sent to guide you to our dig site. We have been working on it for several weeks and have found some artifacts that might be of interest.”

After Lily was introduced, they went to through customs and finally to gather their bags from the luggage carousel. Once they did, the group of three stepped out into the surprisingly cool air. The parking lot wasn’t too far away and soon they were off, heading towards the excavation site.

Lily enjoyed looking out the window at the sights of the new country. There were not many large buildings in the immediate city and most of them appeared run down.

“What happened here?” she asked.

“We had a rather devastating earthquake+ in the winter and have had a hard time, ah, rebuilding,” Dr. Castillo explained, “it is even worse farther away where the buildings are not as well built. We are repairing them slowly, as the Dirty War** is interrupting the process.”

By his tone, both Lily and her father knew better than to ask what the Dirty War was. The group fell silent, looking at the damage, the bumpy road in such a developed town making sense now. The doctor’s words came true, as outside the city appeared to be just broken rocks with little habitation.

The Argentinian spoke up again, “the less fortunate people build their homes out of adobe, which is a hardened clay. It cracks very easily, especially with the magnitude we had.”

Lily felt sorry for the people. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to have her home destroyed. Looking at the broken houses, something stirred inside of her that she’d never felt before: the desire to _protect_. How was she supposed to help her soulmates if things like this could happen? She couldn’t just build a new home and pretend everything was okay, or prevent earthquakes from happening; for once in her life, she felt completely useless.

Turning her head from the passing scenery outside (which was slowly giving way to wilderness), she frowned and looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

 

* * *

 

By the next morning, Lily’s solemn mood had worn off and her excitement returned as she prepared for the day. The night before, they had been shown to their tent, which was simply an open space divided by a thick white canvas to give the father and daughter some privacy.

She pulled on a comfortable, long-sleeved t-shirt, long cargo pants, and sneakers. She pulled her blonde hair back in a braid and put on the special hat her father had gotten her for their adventure, which was wide-brimmed and had mesh material in the back to keep the sun off her neck. After putting on sunblock and her sunglasses, she headed out of the tent to meet her father.

John had been up a few hours earlier, going over what had already been found. He greeted his daughter with a smile before turning back to the pottery on the table, saying, “so this is an _Inti***_ statue?”

Dr. Castillo nodded, “It was a burial chamber, as we thought. While no body was found, believe the person was from royalty, or at least nobility. He had many figures with him, although we think most of the gold to have been stolen. It’s a surprise no one has found this place earlier.”

At his words, Lily jumped in, “maybe they didn’t report it because of the Stone Curse!” she exclaimed excitedly, forgetting for a moment she didn’t _really_ believe in it.

“The Stone Curse?” Dr. Castillo asked, “I have not heard of that in several years. It is mythical, of course, but how do you know it?”

The younger girl blushed slightly, “I, um, heard it from my dad,” she explained, “he learned it from someone else.”

The Argentinian doctor looked to the other man, who shrugged and said, “I thought it was interesting, especially since it seemed a common theme among ancient peoples. Not everyone, of course, but groups in close locations had similar stories of people turning to stone because of stolen objects. I think it originated in Africa, though.”

Dr. Castillo nodded before turning back to what they were studying, “yes, well, I don’t believe that is the reason. And anyway, we are going to be excavating some of the inner chambers this week to look for clues. I think we will begin in a few hours.”

 Indeed they did, and soon Lily’s days had filled with the pattern of get ready to work, excavate, take a break, excavate, and go to sleep.

 

* * *

  

As the Maywell’s Argentinian adventure drew to an end, Lily felt rather disappointed by it all. They hadn’t made any major discoveries, nor been able to leave the dig site except for retrieving supplies. Even her soulmates had seemed to be MIA for the month with what little went on.

She and her father were currently working in an open area of the dig, using trowels to shift dirt. Similar activities were happening around them with the other archaeologists.

“You know,” she started, “I’m not sure if this is the job for me. You certainly made it seem much more interesting than this.”

Her father smirked slightly, “what, digging up dirt on people isn’t interesting? I guess I never really did cut you out to be a gossiper.”

Lily rolled her eyes, “ _no_ dad, I just thought there would be more action. And by the way, that joke was _pre-histerical_.”

“You could find that pun in the _arch_ ives, Lils. I think you have to try harder,” her father retorted.

“That’s-“ she started, but an excited shout interrupted her.

They stood quickly, moving to where the exclamation had come from. It was one of the younger archaeologists, and he was talking in rapid Spanish about what he found. Dr. Castillo, Lily, and her father looked closely at the foreign object half-covered by dirt.

There was a strange, unearthly glow coming from the object as it sat in the ground.

“Don’t touch it,” her father warned, gently pushing the younger man away.

But, Lily didn’t hear him. She stared at the glowing blue light transfixed, even as people began to move around to properly uncover it. The object seemed to whisper her name, with growing intensity the longer she watched it: _Lily… Lily…Lily… LilyLilyLilyLilyLily._ Almost without thinking about it, her hand reached out and effortlessly pulled the glowing crystal from the ground.

Warning bells were going off in her head, but she knew she couldn’t control her movements anymore even if she wanted to. Deaf to the exclamations of her father and his colleagues, she realized for the first time that she felt _complete_ , like she actually had a purpose she didn’t realize she had. The chant of her name had softened the longer she grasped the crystal, and she slowly became aware of her surroundings.

The first thing she felt was a heaviness in her feet, and the first thing she heard was her father’s urgent tone: “put that down, Lily. I _told_ you not to touch it…” which eventually faded to the background again.

Looking down, she saw that the heaviness was actually _stone_. It didn’t worry her at first, but as it began to rapidly move up her legs, the fog in her mind cleared and suddenly panic surged through her. She hastily dropped the object, but the stone didn’t stop. Finally, her emotions seemed to get the attention of her soulmates, who immediately felt her fear and tried to comfort her. As the stone crawled up her throat and covered her mouth, her final thought before the world went dark was _I’m sorry_.

 

* * *

 

_If this is heaven, it isn’t so bad_ , Lily thought in the darkness. There was nothing; no emotion, no sound, no light, just peaceful silence. But, it didn’t last for long. A deep cracking sound resonated around her, and chinks of light came in through the breaks. She could also hear the shouting of distant voices, and suddenly, she was _free_.

The stone fell away from her like the chrysalis when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. She even felt different, like a new person. A heavy weight crashed into her, interrupting her thoughts, and she realized her father was hugging her.

“I _told_ you not to touch it, Lily,” but the edge in his tone was lost in his desperate hug.

Her soulmates also reacted strongly; she could feel the aftermath of their fear and the relief that followed. Lily briefly wondered how long she’d been under but brushed the thought away. She hadn’t died, and that was the important part.

Her father released her, his hazel eyes scanning her worriedly.

“I’m fine, dad,” she said, which was true. A little shaken, but fine.

He turned to the rest of the archaeologists, “we’re getting out of here. Be careful packing up, and _don’t_ touch the crystal.”

Although, at this point, the said object had lost its glow and looked like a regular, harmless gem. Dr. Maywell’s order was authorized by one of the leaders, and tools were quickly gathered. Everyone knew that they weren’t equipped to deal with something like this.

During the following days, it seemed to Lily like nothing had changed about her, but she knew something was off. As she helped take down tents and transfer materials, she thought about what happened, but she didn’t have any plausible explanations, except that maybe the Stone Curse wasn’t as mythical as people thought. Her soulmates remained a constant presence during the time as well, almost wanting to be reassured that she wasn’t going anywhere.

 

* * *

 

On the last day, as they cleaned up the remaining tools, Lily was able to find out _exactly_ what happened. They had been almost finished packing when the first sounds of gunfire could be heard. Immediately, those who weren’t Argentinian (which wasn’t many) began to panic, while those who were quickly headed for the cars.

“Get in the car, Lily,” her father ordered.

His daughter stared at him in shock, “what, and just leave you out here? You’re just as equipped to deal with this as I am!”

“Yes, but you’re a child. Get in the car,” he repeated.

Lily made to do as he asked, heading out of sight before doubling back and hiding beside one of the vehicles while some of the group members had uncovered the guns they had packed and returned fire. The teen watched the sudden skirmish erupt around her, eyes wide. What happened next was a blur, and when she thought about it, she didn’t know _why_ she had done it, just that she had.

The young man who had found the crystal was shooting at the opposing group, and he was clearly inexperienced. Heck, all of them were; they didn’t need to use guns as part of the jobs, everything they worked with was already dead; they only had the guns for emergencies (like this one.)

But the other group didn’t seem to care about that and continued their assault, seeming to come from all sides. The man clearly wasn’t paying attention to the fact that _he_ could get hurt and didn’t see the bullet coming for him. Lily did, although she didn’t know how, and jumped into action before thinking it through all the way.

Putting on an extra spurt of speed, she raced in front of him just as the bullet made contact with her skin, the forcing causing them to fall backward towards the truck. The man righted her quickly, the only thought in Lily’s mind was _holy shit, I almost died again_.

She felt the area around where the bullet was supposed to have gone through and realized there wasn’t even a scratch on her. The man was asking rapid-fire questions, most of which she didn’t hear, as she stared at the unharmed spot; there wasn’t even a bruise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The earthquake- happened on January 26, 1985 and was a 6.2 magnitude
> 
> **The Dirty War- the "dirty war" (1976-1983) was a campaign waged by Argentina's military rulers against left-wing opponents. It began when a military junta led by Gen Jorge Videla seized power in response to a period of political instability and growing violence after the death of President Juan Peron. (This chapter sees parts of the aftermath)
> 
> ***Inti- ancient Incan Sun God
> 
> Next chapter: Houston, I Have So Many Problems


	4. Houston, I Have a Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily deals with the aftermath of what happened in Argentina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: brief mentions of violence, but no one gets hurt
> 
> After researching some things that I was going to include in this chapter, I realized it didn't fit, so, there's really only one problem right now. I probably should've researched first, but oops.

Upon their return to the States, Lily and her father learned that the skirmish had been a part of the remains of the Dirty War. Apparently, even though the government had sanctioned their excavation, not all the local groups were happy with non-Argentinians joining the dig. On her part, Lily’s mother had been rather calm about the whole situation as they relayed the story back to her (Lily attributed this to her nursing job and her father’s past experiences.)

The teen also hadn’t forgotten what happened with the bullet, although she had yet to reveal this to her parents. Her father would certainly be mad at her for being reckless, and she didn’t know how they’d react to her new… _ability_ , for that’s what she decided to call it. She wasn’t sure what it was, although it definitely had to do with being covered in stone.  

However, it didn’t seem like she had a choice in when they found out, since a few days after their return, she came downstairs to the sound of a heavily-accented Argentinian voice.

“Ah, Miss Maywell, it is a pleasure to see you again!” Dr. Castillo greeted her, surprisingly enthusiastic.

During their time at the dig, she learned that the doctor was rather soft-spoken, but often correct in his opinions. His new energy was a bit disconcerting, especially seeing him in the familiar environment of their kitchen.

“Hello Dr. Castillo,” she replied slightly warily.

“I was just talking with your parents about what happened during our summer. Of course, your father was there, but I wanted to make sure your mother knew as well.”

“Knew what?” Lily questioned, although she had a niggling feeling as to what it was.

“Well, I wanted to wait until you had joined us to completely explain it, but I it’s about the Stone Curse,” Dr. Castillo explained.

“I thought you didn’t believe in it?”

The Argentinian chuckled slightly, “I never said that, Miss Maywell. I just said it was a _myth_ , which it is to most people. You and I are a few of the people who have experienced it firsthand.”

The blonde girl looked at him, bewildered, “what do you mean?”

After glancing at her parents, who looked equally confused, the doctor explained, “the crystal Professor Torres found was one of many in various parts of the world. Of course, not all are buried in the ground, but they are little known to most people. If you had been anyone else, you may not be standing here right now.”

He paused a moment to let his words sink in.

“Wha- why-“ Lily tried to ask, having a hard time coming to terms with this information.

“Obviously, you remember what happened when you picked up the crystal. There is a relatively small percentage of people in our society that would as well, as we all share similar genes. Of course, the average human is 99.9% the same, but there are a select few who are, as we like to call ourselves, Inhumans.

Once they go through Terrigenesis, which was when you became covered in stone, they are given a special gift that separates them from the rest of the human race.  Their DNA is modified to access these gifts, and most live in an Inhuman society for a time to gain control of their abilities. Not everyone has the same length of stay, and no one is forced to live there.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Lily interrupted, “are you saying I have magical powers?”

Her father seemed to find his voice, though it was a little shaky when he said, “magic isn’t real, Lils,” before turning to Dr. Castillo, “it _can’t_ be, right?”

The doctor smiled slightly, “you’d be surprised at what is possible, Dr. Maywell. I haven’t come into contact with any, but it is not beyond the realm of disbelief. As for your question, Miss Maywell, your gift isn’t necessarily magic, but to some it can be perceived that way. Simply, it is just a change in your genetics.”

“Can you show me yours, Dr. Castillo?” Lily asked, assuming he was one of these… _Inhumans_ , since he seemed to know so much about them.

He looked faintly surprised but nodded. After he seemed to do nothing at all, Lily started suddenly when she felt a wave of calm wash over her, silencing her whirling thoughts and allowing her to take a deep breath. At least, she was until the ever-constant presence of her soulmates’ emotions went fuzzy. As much as she tried to panic, her mind was too relaxed to do anything other than worry slightly. Then, as quickly as the feeling came, her thoughts sped up again and the rush of suppressed emotions returned.

The dark haired man said, “As you can see, my gift is the ability to calm someone down, and even change emotions,” taking in her startled expression, he continued, “I understand it may take some time to think this over, but I will leave my phone number with you in case you need to contact me. However, should you find your gift, ah, troublesome, it would be advisable to contact me sooner rather than later.”

With that, he scribbled his number on a piece of paper, stood up from the table, and headed towards the door, closing it quietly behind him, leaving the Maywells in rather shocked silence.

* * *

 

Surprisingly, her parents were rather accepting of this new situation; apparently, Dr. Castillo had used his abilities on them as well, without even so much as blinking. They had decided it would be best for her to learn about her gifts, and even allowed her to spend the last month of her summer at the Inhuman society. That was how Lily found herself traveling abroad for the second time, deboarding from a very military-style plane in a town with an undisclosed location.

“Welcome to Afterlife,” Dr. Castillo said as they set foot on the ground.

The Afterlife had a distinctly Asian feel to it and was nestled in the middle of a range of snow-capped mountains. There were quite a few more people moving about than she’d expected, although some were just sitting on porches enjoying the cool temperatures.

“Right this way, Miss Maywell,” the doctor continued, leading her down a main path towards a rather large building.

They stepped into the cool, dark interior which was decorated sparsely. The main foyer had a well-worn rug running down the length of the hallway but there was very little else. Dr. Castillo led the young blonde past several closed doors before stopping abruptly at the last one and knocking.

 Lily didn’t hear a sound of welcome, but her guide pushed the door open anyway into a much brighter office. Although, it wasn’t any office that she was used to; there weren’t any computers or modern technologies, and the back walls were lined with many books. Leafy green plants sat near the window, which overlooked the edge of the settlement before the plateau dropped off out of sight. An older Chinese woman sat an office desk, which was littered with papers and a few other items.

 Dr. Castillo greeted the older woman with a smile, “it is good to see you, Jiaying; I have been gone too long. With my return I bring a new Inhuman, one who has already entered the Mist and needs to be trained.”

Jiaying surveyed him for a moment, her dark eyes watching his movements carefully, “where is the Inhuman? I have not heard of one going through the Mist unassisted in quite a while.”

Lily stepped forward, saying, “It’s- uh, me. I’m Lily.”

The dark-haired woman switched her attention to the young girl, “where did this happen?”

Dr. Castillo answered for her, relaying their story. He even included the skirmish where she protected the young man, which she didn’t think anyone had seen. He finished by saying, “she will need guidance, which I will be happy to give her, since I have an idea of what her gift might be.”

Jiaying studied him for a moment longer before nodding, “I give you permission to train her.”

Taking that as their signal to leave, the doctor left the office with Lily trailing behind him as they made their way to where they would be staying.

“Is she always like that?” the teen asked.

“Pretty much, yes. Something happened to her in her youth, although no one speaks of it. She has a lot of people to care for and I imagine that can be difficult as well.”

When they arrived at their quarters, he said, “feel free to explore the area. You can’t really get lost, although I would advise you to stay nearby. Tomorrow we can call your parents and start your training.”

After that, he bid her good evening and retired to his room, leaving Lily to her own devices.

* * *

 

It took everything in her not to try and dodge the knife that was flying towards her, coming closer every second. Lily trusted Dr. Castillo (although maybe not _this_ much), so she didn’t move from her spot about five feet away from him; he had also used his gift to numb her emotions for the first test, so she couldn’t have even if she wanted to. Finally, the knife hit it’s mark on her arm, but it bounced off harmlessly as if she was made of rubber.

They’d only just started training in a spare room about half an hour ago after making a phone call and reassuring her parents that she was alive and safe. The doctor had explained that he was ninety-nine percent sure that Lily was invincible due to what he had seen in Argentina, and to test his theory they’d have to put her slightly at risk. Using his powers helped, since she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have stood still long enough. It was a relief that he was correct.

After that, the doctor returned Lily to her normal state and became more experimental with what he threw at her, going even as far as using a gun. The teen was pretty sure her parents would freak out if they knew, but what they never found out wouldn’t hurt them. It didn’t hurt _her_ , after all.

It seemed as if that was the extent of her powers, which admittedly were pretty awesome. Dr. Castillo had then moved on to teaching her combat skills, which usually only involved hand-to-hand, as she wasn’t comfortable using a gun. However, it seemed that she had more in her repertoire than just what was on the surface.

A few days later, the Argentinian had been shooting rapid fire at her, trying to get her to move more quickly in a combat situation. While the bullets wouldn’t hurt her, they did slow down her movement because of the speed they hit her with.

Their practice didn’t last long, though. Lily didn’t know why the person had decided to come into the room, but the door opened nevertheless, and the older woman started to step into their practice area. Bullets were still flying, and seeing the woman put herself at risk but being unable to move quickly enough from her spot, raised her hands and felt a pulse of energy leave them, a blue flash that expanded over the woman’s form and created a shield between her and the danger, effectively stopping her from entering the room.

Immediately, Dr. Castillo stopped firing, and put the gun down to look at his trainee in surprise. “Well, I guess that invincibility extends outward as well,” he said, seemingly unaffected by the danger the woman had nearly put herself in.

Lily stared at him, shocked that he didn’t seem to care about the other woman, who smiled slightly as the shield flickered out of existence, “I have seen a lot in my days, Miss Maywell. Walking into danger is the least of my worries.”

Dr. Castillo smiled slightly at the woman, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her in a hug. He pulled away to introduce them, “Lily (he’d stopped calling her by her last name a few days ago), I’d like you to meet my wife and soulmate, Mrs. Castillo. Julianna, this is the archaeologists’ daughter I’ve told you about, Lily.”

Julianna moved to shake the teen’s hand, who had a slightly stupefied look on her face; she had never thought Dr. Castillo would be _married_ , much less about his soulmate status. While everyone had at least one, she just hadn’t thought very much about it.

“Michelle told me that you were here. I thought I’d come by and surprise you,” Dr. Castillo’s soulmate explained.

The Argentinian kissed her quickly before turning to Lily, “I think our training is done for today, but tomorrow, we’ll start working on this surprise shield ability you have.”

Lily nodded; seeing Dr. Castillo with his soulmate made her wish that hers were there, too. She didn’t feel much like training after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MCU characters should start showing up in about 3 chapters, if all goes according to plan. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the kudos and comments :)
> 
> Next chapter: High School isn't all Fun and Games


	5. High School isn't all Fun and Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High School brings surprises and disappointments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: some violence, people being mean, and (again) one curse word (I'm not even sure if it counts, though)

_Gun shots rang through the dusty valley where the archeologists had been focused on the dig, minding their own business. Lily could see people running around and meeting the opposing group in combat, their cries and yells nearly drowned out by the other noise. Dust was kicked up by the many moving feet, and she could see bright, red blood showing starkly against the golden sand. Her instincts were insisting that she **move**_ _or **act** or do **something** , but she couldn’t. As much as she tried, her feet seemed to be cemented to the ground; when she looked, she saw the bumpy, grey stone holding her in place. Immediately, she knew it was part of the Inhuman change. _

_No matter how much she struggled, Lily was unable to free herself from the confinement and was forced to watch faceless people get hurt without being able to do anything to help. Suddenly, the fight seemed to fade in the background as two unknown opposers got ahold of the archaeologists. But, she knew they weren’t part of the group; she didn’t know how, since she couldn’t see their faces, but Lily knew that they were her soulmates. The opposing group’s arms were around their necks, holding them in place. The teen could hear her soulmate’s cries for help but was powerless to stop them; she couldn’t even move her arms to erect a shield. Two simultaneous gun shots rang through the now-still air, and she felt warm blood splatter on her. She opened her mouth in a soundless scream-_

Lily jerked awake, jolting upright in her bed. She was covered with sweat, and her head was spinning. After she regained control of her breathing and calmed down slightly, reassured by the dark stillness of her room, she noticed that her soulmates had woken up, probably due to her nightmare, and were trying to comfort her, sending waves of warmth which helped relax her better than any other method she could’ve tried (although she did feel guilty for disturbing their sleep.)

It was the first time she’d ever had a nightmare like that, and she was surprised that it had taken so long for the events to catch up to her. Although the teen could attribute it to the business of the last months of summer, with all of the intense training Dr. Castillo had her do. Right before she had to leave, the Argentinian had taken her- clearly begrudgingly, since he complained about its existence the whole time- to yet another undisclosed location (he’d said something about it belonging to an organization called armor or something) and had her register on the Index, which he claimed was to keep track of Inhumans, but the organization said that it was for their “safety.”

Lily’s return home three days before school started was the first time she’d had a break, and it seemed that was all that was needed for her mind to catch up to her. She knew she should probably talk to someone about what she’d dreamed about, but after the whole fiasco with her new ability, she didn’t want to trouble her parents anymore, so she kept the matter to herself (and her soulmates.)

* * *

Even as she walked into her first class, the fifteen year old didn’t feel a hint of nervousness. Well, perhaps a bit because she didn’t know how she’d react if someone found out about her abilities, but not because of the new stage of life she was starting. Lily attributed this to her activities over the summer as well as her slight sleep deprivation due to the consecutive nightmares she’d had.

But, as she opened the door to her first period class, she had a whole different emotion wash over her: excitement. Not many people would enjoy math at eight AM, but a familiar face greeted her in the sea of strangers- and an empty desk next to the brunette.

“Lydia?!” Lily exclaimed, excitedly.

The said girl looked up from where she’d been doodling in her notebook, her hazel eyes widening as she saw her friend, “Lily! I can’t believe you’re here! Wait- what _are_ you doing here? Sit here!” she said the last words patting the desk next to hers.

The blonde weaved her way quickly through the rows, attracting some stares from their interaction, but most of the students were dead to the world. As she sat down, she said, “my parents moved here in the summer so we wouldn’t have a three hour commute to school, and so my mom could pick up her nursing again. I completely forgot you lived in Silver Springs!”

Both girls beamed at each other, finding a new reason to be excited about high school.

* * *

 The rest of the year passed without much trouble (not including her disturbed sleep) as the two teens enjoyed being friends in a way they couldn’t before. In the summer, Lily returned to Afterlife to further hone her skills. Of course, Lydia wondered where her best friend went over the break, but the blonde’s vague answers clued her in to drop the subject.

Lily had made some new friends over the course of both her school year and summer. In her class, she and Dawn had quickly become friends, since her personality was much like Lydia’s (slightly popular, up-to-date with the activities of celebrities, not too uptight.) During the summer, there was Ruby, an Inhuman who seemingly had a need for speed and was very cheerful; and Blake, who was almost her complete opposite personality-wise (and her ability was that she could leave shadows of herself behind). While she didn’t know either girl very well yet, they had gotten along excellently during the summer.

It was about halfway through her Sophomore year, and Lily was pulling books out of her locker that she would need for her homework, since it was the end of the day. Most of the students had gone home, although a few lingered in the hallways either hanging out with their friends or waiting for a ride. She hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings, busy focusing on her task and singing under her breath _And I need you now tonight, And I need you more than ever, And if you only hold me tight, We'll be holding on forever…_ (since the song she was stuck in her head), so she didn’t notice when someone approached her until there was a throat-clearing cough.

The teen looked up from what she was doing to see a rather good-looking guy with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He smirked at her slightly, his eyes amused.

“Can I help you?” she asked, faintly irritated from being interrupted.

He paused for a moment before saying clearly, “come here often, gorgeous?”

Lily’s eyes widened, immediately understanding the importance of the words. _No way_ , she thought, freaking out, _she met her soulmate!_ Her pulse rose as she grew excited and her mouth dropped open slightly. She could hear laughter from across the hall, but it didn’t matter; _she’d just freaking met her soulmate!_ She could feel her soulmates’ confusion through their bonds at her sudden surge of excitement, but that didn’t matter right now either.

It wasn’t until the guy- Jason?- started laughing that she was startled out of her daze.

“What?” she asked, her elation giving way to worry; was her soulmate crazy?- it didn’t matter of course, she’d still look after him, it was just a bit jarring.

Through his laughter, he exclaimed, “I can’t believe you think _I’m_ your soulmate! I mean, I knew you’d be desperate, but I didn’t think that you’d believe just _anyone_ who said that phrase. You should totally see your face right now!”

Lily felt her stomach turn when the realization hit her- it should have been obvious, of course. While not everyone found it desirable to wait until they met their soulmate (and subsequently dated around), there were some who did, and she was one of them. Sometimes, this was subject to teasing, name calling, or cruel jokes, especially if the person didn’t cover their soulmark (or had two), like her. Lily realized he must have read the words on her wrist and decided to have laugh. She glanced over at the group of students across the hall, figuring that was where the laughter had come from earlier.

Her happiness quickly dissolved into despair; she had long ago decided that she’d wait for her soulmates, but this time it made her wonder if she’d ever meet them. There were so many people in world what were the chances?  Feeling tears prick her eyes, Lily quickly slammed her locker closed and walked away, unwilling to let them have the satisfaction of seeing her run, their laughter following her down the hall.

 As soon as they were out of sight, she ran to an empty classroom, dropped her books on her desk, and dropped to the floor, burying her face in her hands. Loneliness and despair quickly overwhelmed her and she began to let out loud sobs. _She really was never going to meet her soulmates. If she did, why would they even want her? She was a freak- who was invincible and could erect glowing blue shields? No one, that was the answer (well, except for her, hence the ‘freak’ part.) They would never want her, and she’d be all alone for the rest of her life- even worse, they’d want each other and-_

The barrage of thoughts slowed as she felt the familiar warmth of love wash over her. Her brilliant, amazing soulmates were trying to make her feel better. They probably wouldn’t want to if they knew the truth, but they didn’t right now so she tried not to take it for granted.  

* * *

Life continued on in a similar pattern after that, although her soulmates seemed to check in more frequently since (what she termed) The Incident. While her nightmares lessened, sudden loud sounds made her jumpy and nervous. Her reactions had not gone unnoticed (or unquestioned), but she was reluctant to tell anyone, even her own parents, since she still felt like she shouldn’t bother them.

In her Senior year, Lily and Lydia decided to get a math tutor in order to prepare better for their final exams (since math wasn’t their strongest subject.) They were waiting in the school’s library at the appointed time, and Lydia was telling her about the latest celebrity news- apparently some singer, Paula Abdul, had gone way up the charts in the music industry*- when a friendly voice sounded next to them interrupting their conversation, saying “ _I’m Nate, what’s your name?”_

He was staring at Lydia, who stared right back, a startled look on her face. Lily was instantly suspicious, remembering her own encounter, but when her friend answered, “ _I’m Lydia, you’re too hot to be a math tutor,”_ and Nate’s expression changed to one similar, Lily knew she didn’t have to worry.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG GUYS did you see Endgame! Don't worry, I won't spoil it, but IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!! You should totally go see it if you haven't yet. 
> 
> *This actually happened in 1988, but I moved it up a year since it was the first celebrity event I found.
> 
> Sorry it's taken me so long to post; work and school have been really busy, and since finals are coming up, it'll probably be a while for the next chapter, too. By the way, one more chapter before MCU characters show up!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed and thanks for the comments and kudos from last time!
> 
> Next chapter: The In-Between Time


	6. Not an Update

Hey guys So I know everyone hates these (trust me, I do too.) but there are somethings I need to announce (it's mostly good news.) 

 

1\. I'm all done with finals (YAY!!!)

 

2\. I've written almost 2 chapters ahead and counting, so I'm not giving up on this yet :)

 

BUT:

 

The laptop I was originally writing the story on broke, and I can't access my files right now. I'm trying to get it fixed but it's a lot of money, so I have to look around for somewhere cheaper. So, while I've got to go on hiatus a little longer (since I'm missing the current chapter in between the posted one and the one I'm writing now). I also tried to recreate the already written chapter, but it's kind of (very) crappy, so I decided to stop writing it and just forge ahead with the rest of the story while I wait. But here's a teaser of what's to come so you don't hate an author's-note-as-a-chapter update (as much.)

* * *

 

Lily decided to return to her office after the ceremony so she could pack up since she hadn't managed to finish beforehand. She was thinking about what she had to do the rest of the day, so she didn't notice the chair in her office was occupied until she heard the clearing of a throat. Looking up, her heart literally stopped in her chest. _Tony Stark_ was leaning in her chair, looking as if he owned the place, which he probably could. He dressed in what was looked like a very expensive- and very good-looking- suit, and smirking at her slightly, probably because her mouth had fallen open and she'd frozen in the door frame in shock.

 

" _Come here often, gorgeous?"_ he asked, smoothly rising to his feet as he clearly checked her out.

 

Her brain stuttered for a moment before she remembered, well, everything. _He might be saying that just to mess with me, because who knows…he blocked us out for_ **_years_ ** _without concern for his other thirds...,_ which prompted her to quickly shut her mouth and respond coldly- despite the pounding of her heart- " _This is my office, Mr. Stark, I should hope I come here often."_

 

His lack of reaction, at least at first, made her heart sink _I knew it_ , she thought.

 

"Sassy, I like it. Since you know my name, won't you tell me yours, professor?" he asked.

 

Her instant response was to fire back, "it's doctor."

 

He shrugged, "strange, but I won't judge. Well, Ms. Doctor-"

  
" _No_ ," she interrupted, cutting across him, " _I'm_ a doctor, my _name_ is Lily. Dr. Lily Maywell, if you must know."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I can get Tony's characterization right (since I don't really know anyone like him I'm kind of worried.) Wish me luck! *fingers crossed*
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments from last time! I really appreciate it :)


End file.
